The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section.
In humans, negative vascular condition has been associated with or is known to be symptomatic with a variety of serious diseases including coronary artery disease, hypertension, stroke, kidney disease, muscular skeletal disorders, nervous system disorders, respiratory diseases, cardiac rhythm disease, diabetes, and others. For example, reduced elasticity of the coronary arteries may indicate the presence of plaque on the walls of the arteries and may contribute to myocardial infarction. Vascular function information also may be useful in early recognition of sepsis, hypertension, hypotension, or respiratory dysfunction, and cardiac rhythm dysfunctions. Accurate measurements of the elasticity, thickness, and mechanical performance of blood vessels in conducting blood flow may permit better evaluation of diseases that are associated with negative vascular health and recommendation of a variety of therapies.
However, in the state of the art, vascular measurements typically require elaborate equipment and can only be performed in a clinical setting on a periodic basis. For example, one typical method involves using Doppler sonography systems to obtain acoustic readings from the peripheral principal arteries from one or more body locations, such as the ankles. Most systems are large, expensive, and normally capable of use only in a medical office. Other vascular systems try to measure vascular wall thickness, so that it is difficult to accurately measure abnormal plaque from normal artery wall. Further, these systems normally are not integrated with other valuable measures of personal health.
Devices are available that measure vital signs, blood glucose, gases in the body, respiratory activity, cardiac rhythm and other aspects of physiology. For example, smartphone applications or “apps” are available to enable an individual to take their pulse using a smartphone, and other apps can take pictures of food and provide readouts of food contents and calories. However, these measurements and apps may be incapable of integrating with other valuable health information or providing a global assessment, involving vascular function, of healthy or unhealthy status.